Emily Dickinson created nearly 1800 poems during her lifetime but could publish only ten. She certainly tried to publish more by writing to an Atlantic Monthly writer asking if her verse was alive. 136 years after her death, Emily Dickinson is one of the most celebrated poets in America, with her verse very much alive in pop culture, being used for song lyrics, band names, television series titles, etc. Now, there’s an interesting latest addition to the line of Dickinson-inspired modern creations. Behold the EmilyBlaster!

The EmilyBlaster

EmilyBlaster is a 1980s-style free video game based on the poems of Emily Dickinson. A poem appears on screen before starting each gameplay, and the players have to shoot down words from the sky. The game cycles between Dickinson’s poems like “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain,” “Because I Could not Stop for Death,” “That Love is All There is,” and many others. The objective of the game is to shoot the words in the correct order to assemble the selected poem.

The Inspiration

EmilyBlaster is inspired by a fictional game from the upcoming novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. The book tells the story of two childhood friends who create video games together after reconnecting in later life. Sadie, one of the friends, creates the EmilyBlaster, based on the poetry of Emily Dickinson. According to the author, the memorable phrasings and compact verse of Dickinson make for perfect targets to shoot!

The Video Game

As per the novel, in EmilyBlaster, poetic fragments fall from the top and track along the bottom of the screen. During the gaming process, the player has to shoot the poem fragments using an ink-shooting quill, to add up to one of the poems by Emily Dickinson. If successful in the game, the fictional player earns and collects points to decorate a room in Dickinson’s Amherst house.

Have you ever wondered what outer space smells like? Well, thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, you may be able to find out for yourself soon enough.

The Smell Of Space

Considering that outer space has no atmosphere, you’d probably think that it doesn’t really smell of anything up there. However, according to astronauts, there is a scent to be found millions of miles above the planet. Familiar fragrances like “seared steak” and “raspberries” have been mentioned before, a combination that sounds a lot more inviting than you might have imagined. You don’t have to just take the astronauts’ word for it, though, because a new perfume is being created to share the smell of space with the world.

From NASA To Kickstarter

The scent of outer space is something that’s been of interest to NASA for a long time. Back in 2008, they enlisted a chemist, Steven Pearce, to help recreate the smell for future astronauts. They wanted people to know what to expect before launching into space, so a formula was developed to aid with that. This information was initially kept private, but now, thanks to some Freedom of Information Acts, it’s no longer a secret.

A Successful Investment

Since the Kickstarter project began, more than $600,000 dollars has been pledged to it. According to the site, people who contributed money can expect to receive their product by October 2020. It’s been developed with the help of various fashion, tech, and design experts, all of whom have been passionate about sharing this unique scent with the world. They’ve worked hard to bring Eau de Space to life, and it won’t be long now until people get to wear it wherever they go.

Whether or not people will take to the smell of space is yet to be seen. However, if the perfume is a success, it could become the next big thing on the market.